Universal Hires Writer To Pen Competing Script For THE MUMMY Reboot

Univeral Pictures is so keen on having a Mummy reboot out by 2014, that a new report reveals that The Hunger Games screenwriter Billy Ray has been hired to pen a second script.

By PaulRom - Feb 14, 2013 08:02 AM EST

Filed Under: Mummy

Last year, it was announced that Universal is planning a reboot of The Mummy franchise, with a possible release date for summer 2014. Len Wiseman (Total Recall) is directing, with a script written by Jon Spaihts (Prometheus) and Roberto Orci/Alex Kurtzman (Star Trek Into Darkness) producing. Since then, news on the film (which is described as a modern day horror) has been quiet, but now a new report indicates that the studio is very serious about making the reboot happen. According to Vulture, Universal has decided to go an unusual route: Hire two different screenwriters to pen two separate scripts. Billy Ray (The Hunger Games) is writing said competing script, which is "also set in contemporary society". The studio believes that this increases the chances of having at least on script for The Mummy ready for production by either late summer or early fall. One Univeral insider says, "Studios don’t shoot movies anymore. They shoot release dates." And what would happen if neither draft works? "My suspicion is that one of them will be a 'structure-and-body' man, and one's going to be a 'character-and-dialogue' man — and that they'll then just gang-bang them together into one script, crediting both writers." What do you think of this news?

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13 Comments

JoeMomma29 - 2/14/2013, 9:17 AM

MrReese - 2/14/2013, 9:21 AM

"Studios don’t shoot movies anymore. They shoot release dates."

N thats y most movies nowadays suck ass!

[frick] HOLLYWOOD N UR LETS MAKE EVERYTHING 3D N REBOOT THIS N PREQUEL THAT!!

toco89 - 2/14/2013, 9:21 AM

Well,...Len Wiseman directing means that the movie will at least look good, if nothing else cuz there's a good chance Kate Beckinsale will be in it.

MrReese - 2/14/2013, 9:22 AM

[frick] happened 2 originality? is like they just throw a name of a franchise n expect 2 sell off the name alone.[frick] u!! haha

IIIAdamantiumIII - 2/14/2013, 9:31 AM

lol sounds like they just got a bunch of people to write their own ideas and they will pick one out of a hat. Total Reshit was horrible. Honestly though if they are going to do it make it a really really dark horror film. Like alien meets exorcist in Egypt.

JoeMomma29 - 2/14/2013, 9:38 AM

This is how Universal or should I say Hollywood's thinking is right now!

Rambaldi47 - 2/14/2013, 1:08 PM

@Godzilla: I was going to say the same thing. I'm still bitter that Damon Lindelof RUINED Spaihts' amazing screenplay for Prometheus. I'm at least glad I got to read what could have been. Poor Spaihts can't catch a break.

TheSuperguy - 2/14/2013, 3:14 PM

Would be awesome to see a MUMMY film that is actually scary.

NostalgicYouth - 2/14/2013, 4:29 PM

I hope they go with Jon Spaihts script; because I think he could be a good screenwriter, if the studios that he works for would just stop hiring people to rewrite his scripts; for example Damon Lindeloff rewriting his prequel script for Alien into promethues.

JULEZ13 - 2/14/2013, 6:05 PM

Brendan Frasier's The Mummy came out when I was a kid and I absolutely LOVED it! Was it the best movie ever? No. What it at least award winning? No. But it was a great popcorn flick, something Hollywood is lacking.

This script ordeal just sounds like a mess. I don't like the fact that this is even getting rebooted! It sickens me!

So sick of shitty movie after shitty movie coming out, if it weren't for the rise of CBMs I honestly don't know where Hollywood would be right now! What ever happened to good non CBM popcorn flicks??

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